Kobashi had held the belt since winning it at 3/1/03 match with Misawa at Budokan I believe, and had beaten anyone who was a legit contender. Kind of odd timing that it comes so soon after the huge deal with Kojima unifying the Tripe Crown & IWGP titles, but a big deal in its own right with such a great title reign coming to an end.

This is an excellent choice for NOAH as it gives them many new match-ups and it seemed like the only way to go after Kobashi's two year reign. I thought for sure that Jun Akiyama would win the GHC Title at the 7/10 Tokyo Dome show. They had the Match of the Year, but it left NOAH in the position of having Kobashi beat virtually every credible opponent on the roster. The storyline of Rikio learning from his mistakes in his GHC title loss to Kobashi one year ago and incorporating new training techniques to prepare him for the rematch made perfect sense, and lent an entirely new level of drama to the build-up.

Rikio In Training: Awesome!

Having Rikio as the champion gives NOAH many fresh match-ups and more importantly, elevates Rikio into the top tier with Akiyama, Misawa, Taue and Kobashi (as far as being a title contender and a viable champion). I really like Rikio alot as he works strong, has good charisma and tremendous intensity. With Takayama injured, Akiyama having lost the high profile 7/10 match and Misawa not wanting to re-assume the belt (just yet) the Rikio choice is an good one.

I feel that they could be transitioning the belt toward Tenryu for a big NOAH vs Tenryu series with a huge match at this year's Tokyo Dome show (maybe Kobashi or Misawa), but Rikio should have a good run.

Kobashi vs Rikio: The Face-Off

NOAH GHC Champion Takeshi Rikio

(edited by NickBockwinkelFan on 6.3.05 0311)"Well, you can't involve friendship with business. It has to be one or the other. It's either business or friendship, or hit the bricks!"--Life Lessons from "The Tao of Bobby the Brain Heenan" Uncensored 2000 preview

Question from a Japanese wrestling newbie.....could someone give me a quick recap of the major promotions in Japan, plus which titles are combined with which for the Triple Crown and whatnot?

I'm interested in selling my youngest daughter into slavery as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. She's a Georgetown sophomore, speaks fluent Italian, always cleared the table when it was her turn. What would a good price for her be? While thinking about that, can I ask another? My Chief of Staff Leo McGarry insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly says he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself or is it okay to call the police? Here's one that's really important because we've got a lot of sports fans in this town: touching the skin of a dead pig makes one unclean. Leviticus 11:7. If they promise to wear gloves, can the Washington Redskins still play football? Can Notre Dame? Can West Point? Does the whole town really have to be together to stone my brother John for planting different crops side by side? Can I burn my mother in a small family gathering for wearing garments made from two different threads? Think about those questions, would you? One last thing: while you may be mistaking this for your monthly meeting of the Ignorant Tight-Ass Club, in this building, when the President stands, nobody sits." --- President Jed Bartlett, The West Wing

New JapanFounded by Antonio Inoki in 1972New Japan's title is the I.W.G.P. (International Wrestling Grand Prix) Heavyweight Title

All JapanFounded by Giant Baba in 1972The All Japan Triple Crown is the NWA International Heavyweight, PWF Heavyweight and NWA United National titles

NOAHFounded by Mitsuharu Misawa in 2001NOAH's title is the G.H.C. (Global Honored Crown) Heavyweight Title

The Brief HistoryIn 1953, the legendary Rikidozan founded the J.W.A. (Japanese Pro Wrestling Alliance). Rikidozan was the biggest star in the history of Japanese wrestling and became a cultural icon of gigantic proportions. He wrestled historic matches with Freddie Blassie, The Destroyer (Dick Beyer) and the Sharpe Brothers and with the advent of TV became Japan's hugest star. I highly recommend reading Freddie Blassie's book for an incredible look at this time. Rikidozan was murdered during an argument with a member of the Japanese mafia in 1963 and the news of his death rocked Japan.

During the 1960's, the two most influential men in modern Japanese wrestling were working in the J.W.A, Antonio Inoki and Sheoei "Giant" Baba.

Baba and Inoki wanted to break out from the yoke of the J.W.A. and start their own promotions and they did so. Inoki founded New Japan Pro Wrestling in March of 1972. Baba founded All Japan Pro Wrestling in October of 1972. The J.W.A. folded shortly thereafter.

All Japan in the 1990s featured the best heavyweights in the world (Jumbo Tsuruta, Misawa, Kawada, Kobashi, Taue, Akiyama). New Japan had incredible heavyweights as well (Mutoh, Chono, Hashimoto, Hase) but it was their world class junior heavyweights who put on some of the best matches of the decade (Ohtani, Benoit, Liger, Eddie as Black Tiger, El Samurai).

All Japan's Triple Crownhttp://ajpw.puroresufan.com/history/tctitle.phpFrom Oudou Love:The Triple Crown was formed in 1989, and united the NWA International Heavyweight, PWF Heavyweight and NWA United National titles. Since then, it has become one of the most prized trophies in wrestling history, with many epic matches fought over it.

New Japan's IWGPhttp://www.puroresufan.com/njpw/history/hwtitle.phpFrom Strong Style Spirit:Created in 1987, the IWGP Heavyweight Title is one of wrestling's most coveted prizes. A legacy that began with New Japan founder, Antonio Inoki, the belt has been held by some of wrestling's top stars, such as Inoki himself, Riki Choshu, Tatsumi Fujinami, and Shinya Hashimoto.

All Japan and New Japan Titles 1972-1980'sAll Japan's P.W.F. Titlehttp://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/alljapan/pwf-h.htmlFrom www.wrestling-titles.com2/27/73 Giant Baba completes a series of ten matches with the record of 8 wins, no loss, and 2 ties against Bruno Sammartino(twice), Terry Funk, Abdullah the Butcher, the Destroyer, Wilbur Snyder(twice), Don Leo Jonathan, Pat O'Connor, and Bobo Brazil; awarded the World Heavyweight Title with the old NWA International Heavyweight title belt by the Momota (Rikidozan's) family; recognized as P.W.F. World Heavyweight Title on 73/03/16; reduced to P.W.F. Heavyweight Title after a double title match against N.W.A. World Heavyweight champion Jack Brisco on 74/01/23.

Pro Wrestling NOAHAfter the death of Baba in 1999, Baba's widow Makoto put Mitsuharu Misawa in charge of All Japan. Misawa battled with Makoto for over a year on the direction of the company. In 2001, Misawa left All Japan and founded Pro Wrestling NOAH, taking virtually the entire roster with him (with the notable exception of Kawada). Misawa's NOAH utilized the hard hitting, technical wrestling style developed in All Japan during the 1990's and fused it with modern day production.

NOAH's GHC Titlehttp://noah.puroresufan.com/history/hwtitle.phpFrom Green Destiny:Established in April, 2001, the GHC (Global Honored Crown) Heavyweight Title was created to give Pro Wrestling NOAH it's own world title, and one of the greatest champions in history, Mitsuharu Misawa, became the first holder, giving it instant credibility.

(edited by NickBockwinkelFan on 7.3.05 1550)"Well, you can't involve friendship with business. It has to be one or the other. It's either business or friendship, or hit the bricks!"--Life Lessons from "The Tao of Bobby the Brain Heenan" Uncensored 2000 preview

On the Press Conference: When Nitro said In Conclusion, the crowd should have spontaneously given a standing ovation. Only this company could make a match involving 2 Playboy Playmates and a paddle dull. Smackdown for 3 years if Cena loses?